Fire and Mimes

Theater without a theater is how the Miami World Theater Festival kicks off this weekend. Groupe F -- the French troupe known for its large-scale pyrotechnic performances, including the millennium celebration in Paris -- takes over Lummus Park (Ocean Drive, between Seventh and Eighth streets, Miami Beach) tonight and Saturday at 8:00 with a free show of fireworks, dancing, circus, and mime.

Info

Performance

Poeta en Nueva York, The Tale of Teeka, and Los Hombros de América will be performed at traditional venues but are hardly traditional shows. Poeta (Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; October 8 and 9) uses flamenco and jazz to explore Federico García Lorca's journey to New York in the Thirties. Teeka, at the Byron Carlyle Theater (500 71st St., Miami Beach; October 7-9) is an adults-only performance of puppetry, music, and dance that explores a young boy coming to terms with his difficult life. The Spanish-language Los Hombros, which examines the tensions in a family trying to leave Venezuela and return to Spain, will be onstage at the Venevision International Theater (1560 S. Dixie Hwy., Coral Gables) throughout the festival, which runs through October 16. Ticket prices vary. Call 1-888-698-9444, or visit www.miamiworldtheater.org for a complete schedule. --Karen Dale Wolman

When everybody's favorite tragi-heroic songbird Liza Minnelli knocked her noggin while falling out of bed last year, she had to cancel her New Year's concert on Miami Beach. Patrons were almost relieved to save the $400 for standing-room tickets. After all, combine Liza's accident-prone luck with "God's Waiting Room" and someone was bound to leave Barton G's with a broken hip or worse. But as her fans will swear: Judy's daughter has more expressive pipes than mama did, and she's well worth any cost. Let's hope Liza's head injury wasn't so severe that she can't find the absurdly named Sinatra Theatre Presented by Office Depot for its inaugural evening tonight. Where is it exactly? It's part of the once again renamed Office Depot Center which is now called the BankAtlantic Center (2555 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise). Aw hell, it's the place where the Panthers play. Tickets for Liza range from $52.25 to $102.25 and are available through Ticketmaster. Call 305-358-5885, or visit www.bankatlanticcenter.com. --Margaret Griffis

Freedom Sings

The voice of liberty

SUN 10/9

Prepare for a world-class performance tonight as the lovely mezzo-soprano of Tania Libertad fills the Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St., Miami). Presented by Miami Dade College's Cultura del Lobo Performance Series, Libertad and her musicians will enchant the audience with their virtuosic talent. Born in Peru, Libertad is a limitless vocalist who began her career as a young child singing waltzes and boleros. She has ventured into the realms of Brazilian and Cuban music and has explored Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Her 2003 release, Negro Color, combines all of these musical genres, Afro-Peruvian being the most prevalent. The concert begins at 7:00, and tickets range from $18 to $25. Call 305-237-3010, or visit www.culture.mdc.edu. --Karen R. Figueiredo

Choir Practice

FRI 10/7

Miami's only professional chamber choir, Seraphic Fire, is gearing up to begin its new season with the apropos Vespers of 1610. This devotional work by Claudio Monteverdi marked the opening of the baroque era in music and heavily influenced choral repertory for centuries to come. The soulful sounds begin at 7:30 tonight at the First United Methodist Church, 536 Coral Way, Coral Gables. Tickets cost $15 to $28. Call 305-445-2578, or visit www.seraphicfire.org for a complete schedule of their performances. -- Margaret Griffis